To my fellow smokers

[EvianBaby]

Have your fags gone up in price yet?

I bought some yesterday and some today. Two different shops but both the same prices as they were earlier in the week. I thought the rise kicked in from 6pm Wednesday....

[ummmm]

No...

And they shouldn't do until they've sold off existing stocks.

[chrissa1]

I guess it Will kick in shortly when the shops get new stocks in. Grr.

[whiskeryron]

Gave up years ago, is it £1 per ciggie yet ?

W Ron.

[EvianBaby]

Oooohhhh! I see. I thought the price just automatically went up.

[BlueScorpion]

It does but I believe the duty is levied at the wholesale stage, so any stocks the shops already had would have been paid for at the lower rate. If I am right then all the shops who put their prices up immediately are ripping us off (again)

[EvianBaby]

Not quite yet Ron, about 5p off ;)

[redman41]

If they Legalised Cannabis, they could Tax it in the same way as Tobacco.
Osborne needs to raise money, or so he says !!

[mike11111]

You will probably find that corner shops put up their prices immediately, pocketing the extra tax which they haven't paid. Duty is paid only when it comes out of bond.

On a slightly different tack, I have just been to Morrisons to buy some cigarettes. Apparently from April the law is changing and tobacco is no longer allowed to be on display. The shop now has them all hidden behind sliding doors. I felt as though I was asking for a dirty magazine. If they think that this will deter kids then they've got another think coming. It just makes the exercise more appealing and more risqué.

[BlueScorpion]

Tesco has had theirs hidden for about a month, but you're right Mike it won't make any difference except maybe longer queues because the shop staff have to open each door 1 at a time to find what you've asked for

[Prudie]

Tesco have been doing that for a couple of months mike. Pathetic if they think it will deter people from starting to smoke.

[EvianBaby]

Agree hiding them is pointless. I didn't start smoking because I felt the packets behing the counter were luring me in. I started cos it was cool. ;)

[redman41]

lol lol mike11111 !
At the Supermarket..........'Give us what you've got behind those shutters, as if it gives off smoke I'll smoke it !! :-))))

[mike11111]

Note to self: Do not go to the tobacco counter on a Friday when the Euro lottery is on. There were 8 pensioners in front of me, all putting on the lottery. Amounts ranged from £10 to £30, so moans about the budget sounded a bit hollow (I'm a pensioner myself, by the way).

[mccfluff]

asda has theirs hidden. the only effect so far was to seriously annoy the girl serving as she had to play "guess which door the ciggies are behind" as every customer was asking for a differnt brand or baccy.

[Traci66]

Just been to the shop and mine were still the same price.

[gness]

Co-op was the same price yesterday. Wait until they put the booze behind shutters too mike and mccfluff.

[karenmac60]

I stocked up from Asda last week so I've yet to see if the prices are up. I doubt it though - the 2 shops I usually buy from tend to but in the price marked ones and try to keep getting them for as long as possible after the prices go up so their customers get a bargain.

[Hopkirk]

I wish I smoked.

I could give up then, and save a fortune.

[chrissa1]

I'd never heard of the "price mark" thing. I was visiting my daughter last weekend near London and my brand was 3p cheaper than Morrisons and Sainsburys.